Some games take five minutes to explain and fifteen minutes to unpack. Bags, cards, tokens, and player components spread across half the table before the game has even started. A well-designed 3D-printed board game insert does not improve the game itself, but it does make getting it to the table much easier.
This selection combines games with a strong historical presence on BoardGameGeek and titles that remained particularly active during 2025. It is not a strict ranking. These are twenty cases where 3D printing solves a real storage problem inside the box.
Quick index
Order directly through Pulpo
- Catan
- Carcassonne
- Wingspan
- 7 Wonders Duel
- Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
- Splendor
- Pandemic
- Root
- Heat: Pedal to the Metal
- The White Castle
- Arcs
- Cascadia
Download the design and upload it for a quote
- Brass: Birmingham
- Ark Nova
- Gloomhaven
- Terraforming Mars
- Spirit Island
- Dune: Imperium – Uprising
- SETI
- Bomb Busters
When a board game insert is worth having
The cardboard or plastic tray supplied with a game is usually designed for transport rather than regular use. Add card sleeves or an expansion and many boxes stop closing as neatly as they should.
A useful insert does three things: it keeps each group of components in place, lets you move some trays straight to the table, and removes the need to divide everything between bags. If it only adds more plastic around the same bags, it is not solving much.
20 games that benefit from a printed organizer
Catan
This design stores the base game and the 5-6 Player Extension in the larger box. Borders, hex tiles, cards, tokens, and each player's pieces sit in separate trays that can also be used during play. It was designed for the fifth edition, so fit with another Catan box should not be assumed.
Catan Insert for the Base Game and 5-6 Player Extension
Insert for the Catan base game and 5-6 Player Extension.
Carcassonne
Carcassonne seems easy to store until tiles and small expansions begin to accumulate. This insert uses an expansion box measuring 19 × 13.8 × 6.5 cm to separate tiles, meeples, resources, and special components. It suits players who want to consolidate part of their collection without carrying the main box every time.
Compact Carcassonne Insert for Expansions
Compact organizer for Carcassonne and selected expansions.
Wingspan
The challenge here is the combined volume of cards, eggs, food, and cubes. This organizer holds the base game with the European and Oceania expansions and supports sleeved cards. To create that space it leaves out the original player mats and keeps the Oceania mats, so it only makes sense if that matches how you play.
Wingspan Insert for the European and Oceania Expansions
Wingspan insert for the European and Oceania expansions with sleeved cards.
7 Wonders Duel
A small box can be harder to organize than a large one. This design combines the base game, Pantheon, and Agora, separates the cards for each Age, and supports sleeves. It is sized for the 20.5 × 20.5 cm box, which matters because another box version also exists.
7 Wonders Duel Insert for Pantheon and Agora
Organizer for 7 Wonders Duel with Pantheon and Agora.
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion
Even the more compact Gloomhaven game contains enough cards, tokens, standees, and scenario elements to make setup a job in itself. This set reorganizes the complete contents into dedicated trays. The useful saving is not box space, but the time spent finding each part before a session.
Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion Insert
Complete insert for Gloomhaven: Jaws of the Lion.
Splendor
Splendor has relatively few component types, but its box is much larger than they need. This compact, covered organizer stores tokens, sleeved cards, and the four promotional cards. It is a practical option if you want to reduce bulk and carry the game more easily, rather than simply replacing one tray with another of a similar size.
Splendor Organizer for Sleeved Cards
Compact Splendor organizer for sleeved cards and promotional cards.
Pandemic
Disease cubes are the first pieces to escape when the box is stored on its side. This base-game insert uses lidded trays, leaves room for sleeved cards, and keeps the contents in place during vertical storage. The lids use an open infill structure, a lightweight solution that suits this design particularly well.
Pandemic Insert for Sleeved Cards
Lidded Pandemic insert for sleeved cards and vertical storage.
Root
Root needs faction storage rather than one general-purpose tray. This system covers the base game and expansions through The Marauder Expansion, including Hirelings. The collection is split across two boxes that can nest into one unit. It is not minimal, but it avoids rebuilding mixed asymmetric factions before every game.
Root Organizer Through the Marauder Expansion
Faction organizer for Root through The Marauder Expansion.
Heat: Pedal to the Metal
The original Heat insert works for the base game but becomes tight once Heavy Rain, Tunnel Vision, and sleeves are added. This alternative stores components for up to eight players, four race maps, and both expansions in the main box. A split version of the longest tray is also available for printers with a bed shorter than 245 mm.
Heat Insert for Heavy Rain and Tunnel Vision
Heat insert for Heavy Rain, Tunnel Vision, and sleeved cards.
The White Castle
The most useful trays in The White Castle are those that move from the box to the table already prepared. This design separates shared setup pieces from each player's components and replaces the bridge ends to hold the dice more securely. The sliding lids can feel firm at first but loosen after repeated use.
Arcs
The Arcs box is compact and leaves little margin for getting tray heights wrong. This organizer stores the base game and Leaders & Lore without lid lift and allows vertical storage. It does not support sleeved cards, and even the revised tray leaves the chapter marker slightly too high.
Arcs Insert for Leaders & Lore
Insert for Arcs and Leaders & Lore with no lid lift.
Cascadia
Cascadia benefits from a tile holder that counts for you. This one stores all 130 habitat tiles from the base game and Landmarks in exact-capacity groups, making setup faster. The set consists of five parts and uses 30 magnets to connect its card boxes and dice box. The tile holder can move from the box to the table without being emptied.
Cascadia and Landmarks Insert
Cascadia and Landmarks organizer with capacity for 130 tiles.
Eight organizers to download and upload
The process for the following eight designs is manual: open the linked model, download its STL or 3MF files, and upload them when requesting a quote. Inserts usually contain several trays, so download the complete project first and then choose which parts you need.
Brass: Birmingham
This design separates each player's industry tiles, links, resources, money, and cards. Player trays can be handed out during setup, while sliding lids keep pieces in place during vertical storage. Split variants are included for the largest parts if the available print bed is small.
Download the Brass: Birmingham insert from Printables
Ark Nova
This organizer combines the base game and Marine Worlds, with separate trays for players, tokens, and card decks. It supports sleeved cards and vertical storage. The long card holder is divided into sections so it can fit on a typical printer.
Download the Ark Nova insert from Printables
Gloomhaven
This system aims to store Gloomhaven, Forgotten Circles, and the Envelope X reward content in the main box. Maps, monsters, overlay tiles, conditions, classes, and frequently used tokens are separated. Packing order matters, so the designer's instructions are worth keeping alongside the files.
Download the Gloomhaven insert from Printables
Terraforming Mars
This insert combines the base game with Turmoil, Colonies, Prelude, Hellas & Elysium, and Venus Next in one box. The trays are designed to move directly to the table, and the contents remain secure when the box changes orientation. The project includes separate printing and packing guides.
Download the Terraforming Mars insert from Printables
Spirit Island
Spirit Island grows considerably once Branch & Claw, Jagged Earth, Feather & Flame, and Nature Incarnate are added. This system divides that content between the base box and the Jagged Earth box, supports sleeved cards, and accommodates foil Spirit panels and upgraded tokens. It does not try to force the entire collection into one box.
Download the Spirit Island insert from Printables
Dune: Imperium – Uprising
This solution combines Uprising, Rise of Ix, Immortality, and Bloodlines inside the Uprising box. It includes trays for leaders, resources, player components, technology tiles, and sleeved cards. Space is tight, and the maximum supported sleeve dimensions are listed on the design page.
Download the Dune: Imperium – Uprising insert from Printables
SETI
This organizer separates player pieces, alien species, cards, technologies, signals, and setup components. It supports the Space Agencies expansion and cards in sleeves around 70 microns thick, apart from the organization cards. Trays can move directly to the table, and the largest part requires a print bed of at least 206 × 150 mm.
Download the SETI insert from Printables
Bomb Busters
The most useful addition here is the set of lettered wire stands, which lets players call out a move without pointing across the table. The organizer also adds trays for wires, markers, and cards, including sleeved cards. The designer expanded it while progressing through the missions, so check the latest version before printing.
Download the Bomb Busters insert from Printables
The right insert is the one that reduces work
An organizer is not worth printing simply because one exists. It earns its place when it avoids sorting components every time, stores an expansion that previously needed another box, or replaces a set of bags with trays that are ready to play.
These twenty designs solve different problems, so there is no single formula. If you want one of them printed, or have found another insert for your game, request a quote and we can review which files are required.